After coming back out, Shen Zhiyao lay down right away. She needed to hurry and take a short nap—she still had to go out later in the afternoon and at least put on a show. She had barely slept for a while when knocking sounded at the door.
Irritated, Shen Zhiyao scratched her head and lazily got up to open it.
Lu Sicheng, standing outside, wasn’t feeling any better either. The mission was completed; all that remained was for the recovered research materials to be handed over. He would be leaving soon to return to the army.
When Shen Zhiyao opened the door and saw Lu Sicheng, she wasn’t surprised at all. In this place, aside from Niu Xiaohua—who never got tired of scolding her—and Lu Sicheng, there was basically no one else who would come looking for her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Lu Sicheng set two baskets of pig grass down at her door. “You cut grass all morning and just left it on the mountain? You really don’t care about those work points, do you?”
Shen Zhiyao glanced at them, yawned, and said, “I didn’t cut these. I thought one kid was cute, gave him a few candies, and he went and rounded up a whole group of kids to help me.”
Lu Sicheng smiled indulgently. Looking at her half-asleep, lazy appearance, he suddenly really wanted to rub her head. Thinking so, he did exactly that. Afterward, he looked at her innocently.
Shen Zhiyao’s mind went completely blank.
Who am I?Where am I?What is he doing?!
“I came to say goodbye,” Lu Sicheng said. “I’m leaving. This mission is done. Here’s my address and phone number. Will you write to me?”
As he spoke, he stuffed a slip of paper into her hand. When his fingers brushed her soft palm, it felt like an electric current shot through him. He quickly pulled his hand back behind him, rubbing his fingers together unconsciously.
“Oh… then have a safe trip,” Shen Zhiyao said. “And remember—always stay alert. Don’t trust people too easily. Pay attention to those around you, and remind your family as well.”
She remembered that in her past life, the one she dreamed of, Lu Sicheng’s father had been framed.
Hearing her words, Lu Sicheng frowned slightly. He knew Shen Zhiyao wasn’t someone who spoke without reason. After these past few days, he had at least that much understanding of her.
Still, he didn’t press further. Instead, he said, “I’ll write to you. Take good care of yourself here. Slack off when you should—don’t exhaust yourself. Nothing is more important than your health. And honestly, that face of yours is pretty dangerous. Keep wearing the mask—it’ll save you a lot of unnecessary trouble. I know you’re not afraid, but you still need to be careful. No matter what, you’re still a girl.”
“Also, I have a lot of firewood in my room. I’ll pile it up at your door later. Other than cutting pig grass during the day, try not to go up the mountain too much. The deep mountains are especially dangerous. Rest more when you can, and avoid getting too close to the other educated youths. They come from all over—people’s hearts can be terrifying.”
Shen Zhiyao nodded in agreement and smiled. “I know. I don’t like too much contact with people anyway—it’s annoying. Hiding away and slacking off every day is pretty nice. Compared to dealing with them, I’d rather play with kids.”
Lu Sicheng just looked at her like that, watching her smile brightly as she spoke, feeling as if he could listen forever.
Seeing that he wasn’t saying anything, Shen Zhiyao met his gaze—and her head buzzed.
Lu Sicheng’s eyes were red. In those dark pupils was her reflection alone. His expression was filled with reluctance, burning intensity, and possessiveness…
“Alright,” she said quickly. “I remember everything you said. Go move the firewood. Just stack it by the stove.”
She turned and hurried back inside. “Wait a moment—I’ll get something for you.”
Lu Sicheng steadied his emotions at the door, then turned back to his room to move the firewood.
Inside, Shen Zhiyao immediately started pulling things out: dried meat, sponge cakes, White Rabbit milk candies, peanut crisps she’d bought from the state-run store, and ten boiled eggs. She wrapped everything tightly in black cloth and went back out.
Lu Sicheng had just finished moving the wood when he saw her carrying a big bundle. Before he could speak, she shoved it into his arms.
“I’m not trading this for firewood,” she said firmly. “We’re friends. This is food for the road. You’d better not refuse—if you do, I’ll get angry!”
Lu Sicheng nodded. “Then I’m leaving. If I write to you, you have to write back.”
He walked away, turning back every few steps, until he was farther and farther away…
“Lu Sicheng!”
For the first time, he thought his own name sounded incredibly beautiful.
Shen Zhiyao ran over and stuffed a small red amulet into his hand. On it, embroidered in crooked stitches, were the characters ‘Peace’.
Then she quickly ran back, practically fleeing.
Lu Sicheng stood there for a long time, unable to react. When he finally came back to his senses, the joy on his face was impossible to hide—his chest felt unbearably full.
Grinning foolishly, he walked toward the jeep waiting at the village entrance, looking exactly like a lovestruck idiot.
Back at home, Shen Zhiyao pulled the blanket over her head. Her face beneath it was flushed red too, but the smile at the corners of her eyes made it clear—she was in a very good mood.
Sitting in the jeep, Lu Sicheng was still lost in his wildly imaginative thoughts.
“She likes me, right? She embroidered ‘Peace’ for me! She’ll definitely write back, right? When I get home, I should talk to my parents—can I get her transferred back to Beijing?”
“But her family’s gone… would she be willing to come back? Would she want to be together forever? Should I file a marriage application in advance? Is getting married troublesome? Should I tell my parents and grandpa to start preparing, so we won’t be flustered once she agrees?”
Sun Dayong called him several times without pulling him out of it. That lovestruck expression made everyone in the jeep break out in cold sweat.
“Why are you calling me?” Lu Sicheng finally snapped out of it.
Thankfully Sun Dayong woke him—otherwise, he’d have been naming their future children already.
“Commander, what are you thinking about?” Sun Dayong asked. “What’s that you’re holding? Didn’t you already pack your luggage?”
He stared longingly at Lu Sicheng’s bundle.
Lu Sicheng hugged it tightly to his chest. “Nothing. A friend gave it to me. Put away that look—it’s mine!”
Sun Dayong stared at him in shock. Since when did the commander ever look like this? He looked just like a child protecting a beloved toy…
“What kind of friend is that? You even made us wait so long just to say goodbye.”
Lu Sicheng shot him a glare, turned to look out the window, and ignored him.
Sun Dayong curled his lips secretly. “That’s more like it. The famous cold-faced King of Hell acting any other way is just too weird.”
On the journey back to Beijing, Lu Sicheng barely spoke. He couldn’t bear to eat the food she’d prepared, and even while sleeping, he held it tightly. The peace amulet in his hand was squeezed until it wrinkled, then carefully tucked into the pocket over his chest—his hand never leaving it.
Two days later, they arrived in Beijing. As expected, everything in the bundle had gone bad…
In the two days after he left, Shen Zhiyao lived comfortably. In the mornings, she cut grass and had already become close with the kids. Before noon, she turned in her work for two work points. At midday, she napped. In the afternoons, she wandered the mountains, digging medicinal herbs, picking wild fruits, and chasing rabbits and pheasants under Baibai’s guidance. At night, she filled a pot with water, lit the stove—then still went into the space to feast shamelessly, harvesting fruit, planting crops, and dancing with Baibai.
Life couldn’t have been more fulfilling.
The space’s grain had already been harvested again and piled into the granary. Shen Zhiyao had no intention of selling any of it—she had hundreds of billions worth of supplies. Why take that kind of risk?
Just when she thought life would continue this way…
Someone with a screw loose had to come and provoke her.